Avril Rowlands is a renowned children’s books and television writer with over forty published books. Lion Children’s are thrilled to publish her new storybook for 6+ year olds, The Journey Begins — out this month!

This is the first book in a new series The Animals’ Caravan, which will delight young readers, as they join Caravan Bear and his friends on a gypsy caravan trip, making new friends and sharing Bible stories.

Share with children an interview with Avril: Caravanning with Avril Rowlands and other best memories here.

Here are a few words from Avril about her new story, The Journey Begins:

As a child I was a voracious reader. I still am. One book, The Wind in the Willows, was a special favourite, and the idea of Mole leaving his comfortable home and predictable life to rush off into the big, wide world embracing its excitements as well as confronting its frightening elements has stayed with me. It undoubtedly influenced my sending Christopher Rabbit off on his adventures, although his motivation, unlike Mole’s, was to find some friends. Meeting Caravan Bear, Whitby the dog, and Hector the horse, and armed with the unexpected present of a Bible gave him this opportunity.

As a writer, I am first and foremost a storyteller, and what better stories could Christopher Rabbit tell his companions than the stories from the Bible?

There are so many wonderful stories in the Bible, but it seemed only natural to start with Adam and Eve and after that, I chose stories that either had animals in them or ones the animals in the caravan could relate to. In addition, I wanted the stories to reflect and enhance whatever situation the caravan of friends found themselves in to show that the stories in the Bible are as relevant today as they were when they were first written. But there are many more splendid stories which Christopher Rabbit could read to his companions – so look out for the second book in The Animals’ Caravan series Stories Jesus Told.

I hope children will enjoy the stories and find a lot of humour in them. I hope they will gain an understanding of some of the Bible stories and learn that it is good to question what the stories are about, to disagree, to challenge, and to think about their meaning.

Above all, I hope that they will find that these terrific stories in the Bible have relevance for all of us and that God’s love and care is at work in the world today.